Farmers and ranchers are well-aware markets ebb and flow, but the tariff tit-for-tat between the U.S. and China is testing both the patience and optimism of families who are facing the worst agricultural economy in 16 years, cautioned American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall. Read more >>>
Construction Braces For Trump’s New Aluminum, Steel Tariffs
Article by Kim Slowey for “ConstructionDive” High-rises, large residential multifamily projects and infrastructure projects are major buyers of steel and aluminum. Construction companies are likely to begin bracing for a wave of cost increases and the possibility of having to decide whether certain developments are now too expensive to build. Read the article >>>
Groups Unsure of Whether Trump’s Infrastructure Plan Will Include Gas Tax
WASHINGTON – President Trump will unveil his long-awaited infrastructure proposal Monday to shift $200 billion over the next decade from other federal programs to pave the way for $1.5 trillion for roads, bridges, waterways and railways. Trump’s approach is to let Congress negotiate the details. His four objectives are to stimulate new investment, streamline federal permitting, invest in rural projects and improve the workforce, according to four senior administration officials who briefed reporters Saturday. Tell me more >>>
What Will Trump’s 2018 Infrastructure Package Include?
Donald Trump’s administration is reportedly planning to unveil its long-promised infrastructure proposal in January, according to The Wall Street Journal. Trump administration officials spoke about the plan’s release as early as March of this year. The president himself said it was largely completed in May, announcing it would be coming in two to three weeks. A themed Infrastructure Week at the White House in June came and went without mention of any details about the plan. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao then said it would be released sometime in the fall. Read more here >>>
Groups Evaluate Trump’s Disfavor of P3s for Infrastructure
The infrastructure industry and public officials are trying to figure out how to interpret President Trump’s recent move to back off what had been a major pillar of his $1 trillion infrastructure investment plan. Tell me more >>>
Trump Tax-Cut Proposal for Small Construction Businesses is Unclear
Tax bills for most small construction companies would fall under a broad tax-reform outline unveiled on Sept. 27 by the Trump administration and congressional Republicans. The proposal calls for cutting the corporate tax rate to 20% from 35%. Perhaps most important for small construction firms, the tax rate for pass-through businesses would be limited to 25%. Pass-through entities, such as sole proprietorships, partnerships and S-corporations, are taxed at individual, not corporate, rates, which hurts many construction companies in those categories. Tell me more >>>
Opinion: Trump Infrastructure Plan Has Roots in Privatized Indiana Toll Road
President Donald Trump’s $1 trillion plan to rebuild America’s infrastructure may be unprecedented in size and ambition, but it mimics a controversial scheme championed by Vice President Mike Pence when he was the governor of Indiana. That’s why Pence is the public face of the Trump initiative, and executives from financial firms that helped privatize Indiana’s toll road are in the White House, busily sculpting Trump’s national plan. Read the whole article >>>